The Stahlstiftung (Steel Foundation) was founded in Linz, Austria, in 1987. Its aim was to provide employees of the VOEST-ALPINE Group (as it was called at the time), who had to leave the company due to a crisis, as well as employees of companies outside of the Group with opportunities for reorienting themselves professionally.
Up to four years of training and continuing professional development were funded for this purpose. In the business year 2020/21, about 76.3% of the participants looking for work were able to develop a new professional perspective with the help of the Stahlstiftung. The fact that this metric declined by 10.6 percentage points relative to the business year 2019/20 is yet another consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of the March 31, 2021, reporting date, a total of 546 individuals were receiving assistance from the Stahlstiftung, 73.1% of whom were former employees of the voestalpine Group. The total number of active Stahlstiftung participants in the business year 2020/21 was 888, i.e., 62.6% less than in the previous year (546 individuals).
In addition to the participants covered by the Stahlstiftung in its capacity as a classic employee fund, the activities of 68 individuals related to an educational leave were supported during the reporting period.